Railroad flatcar



Feb. 23, 1943. K. FJNYSTQM l-:T Al. t 2,312,119

' RAILROAD. FLAT CAR I Original Filed May 26, 1941 16 y mf mrs ff df-@ Qa? Maw' Patented Feb. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT QpipglzC-E RAILROADFLATC'AR Karl F. Nystrom and JQSllh vA.Deppe, Milwaukee, Wis.

2 Claims.

Our invention relates to means whereby commodities, such as tractors,assembled implements, vehicles and the like, may be securely anchored onthe flat cars without damaging the car-deck or iioor; the invention morespecifically stated involving a plurality of tie element receivingmembers spaced longitudinally of the car-deck, substantially at thelongitudinal median line and secured to the car center sill so as torecede beneath the top surface of the car-deck or floor when not in useand thereby provide an uninterrupted deck surface; this applicationbeing a division of our copending application Serial Number 395,252, ledMay 26, 1941, being for matter deleted from said application SerialNumber 395,252.

The object and advantages of our invention will be readily comprehendedfrom the detailed description of the accompanying drawing where- 1n:

Figure l is a plan View of one end of the deck of a flat car, withportions broken away, provided with our invention.

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3 3 vof Figure 1,illustrating one of the tie element receiving members in raisedposition.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Figure3 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Railroad flat cars as at present constructed provide no suitable meanswhereby the lading, such as tractors, vehicles and assembled implements,can be properly secured on the car against shifting duringtransportation. Such lading, in present practice, is secured againstshifting by large Wood blocks spiked to the floor or deck of the car andplaced adjacent the wheels of the implements or vehicles and bytie-straps passing across the end of the floor-planks and secured in anysuitable manner to the car underframe. When the lading is to be unloadedthe spiked blocks must be pried loose causing the car deck or iloorplanks to be badly lacerated and necessitating subsequently appliedblocks to be spiked at unworn places in the oor planks. As a result thefloor planks or car deck are subject to rapid decay because of themoisture holding cavities or holes produced by the spikes.

Our invention consists in providing a flat car deck or floor with aplurality of hold-down or tie element receiving members arranged insuitable spaced relation lengthwise of the car coincident with the carcenter sill which preferably is-of vthe built-up type vas ,disclosedinFigure Y3;

.the center-sillbeing shown'in dotted lines in Figure 1 at .I0 .andconsisting of `the longitudinal side members or beams II, II providedWith a top plate I2 (preferably Welded to the side members II as shown),on which the floor planks I3 rest.

The top plate I2, at its longitudinal center line and at spaced apartpoints substantially throughout the length of the center sill, isprovided with cut-outs or suitable slots I4; and the lower sides of thefloor-planks I3, coincident with the slots I4, are provided with socketsor recesses I5 with which the openings I6, in the top surface of thefloor-boards communicate; the sides of the openings I6 preferably beingared toward the top as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

The top plate I2 coincident with the recesses I5 in the oor is providedwith brackets I'I arranged transversely of the slots I4 in the top plateand the ends of the brackets secured to the center sill top plate insome suitable manner as for example by Welding, with the intermediateupstanding loop portions arranged immediately above the slots I4, seeFigure 3.

Before the brackets I'I are secured to the center sill cover plate thebrackets are each provided With a ring or loop I8, which is preferablyof triangular shape and continuous single piece. The loops I8 are madeof round stock as shown in cross-section, Figure 3, so as to presentarcuate surfaces to the tie-wires or straps; and the apices of thetriangular loops (when not in use) are adapted to extend through theslots I4 in the center sill cover plate and to drop down until the upperends of the loops engage the tops of the brackets Il as shown in Figure2. The brackets I'I extend into a plane beneath the top surface of thecar floor or deck I3 so that the upper ends of the loops I8, when not inuse, will be disposed slightly beneath the upper surface of the carfloor thereby providing an unobstructed floor, as shown in Figure 2.

In order to permit the loops I8 to angle sidewise and accommodatethemselves to the direction of pull of the tie wires or bands, theopenings in the floor-boards are preferably flared as shown at I9 inFigure 3. When the lading is to be secured to the median line of thecar, the upper ends of the loops I8 are elevated above the car floor asshown in Figures 3 and 4 which allows the tie-wires or bands to bereadily inserted through the loops; each loop being adapted to receiveone or more tie-wires or bands when necessary.

our invention as defined in the appended claims What we claim is:

l. In a railroad car, the combination of a cen- A ter sill with a coverplate provided with longitudinally spaced slots; a floor provided withrecesses and slots coincident with the slots in the center sill coverplate; bracket members secured to the cover plate transversely of theslots and disposed in the floor recesses; and triangular shaped tiemeans receiving loops swiveled in the brackets so as to permit the lowerends of 'the loops to automatically drop into the cover plate slots andtheir upper ends to rest on said bracket members beneath the top of thefloor when not in use.

Y2. In a flat car having a floor and a built-up center sill involving acover or top plate provided at the longitudinal center line with aplurality of longitudinally spaced slots; upstanding bracket memberssecured to the top plate across slots; the car floor boards coincidentwith said bracket members having bracket member receiving recesses onthe bottom and slots extending upwardly therefrom; and angular loopmembers swiveled in the bracket members so as to permit their upper endsto be moved upwardly through the floor slots, while the lower ends movethrough the slots in the center sill top plate when the loop membersdrop to normal position with their upper .ends disposed beneath the topof the floor, the loop members being adapted to automatically move tonormal position beneath the floor top.

KARL F. NYSTROM. JOSEPH A. BEPPE.V

